Cycling routes
Mattmark - Dam Trophy
Visp
0/11°
ClosedFrom Visp, you first head up through the Saas Valley to Saas-Grund. Then awaits the second part of the ascent, which takes you along a road beside the impressive dam up to 2197 meters elevation. Take a deep breath – here at the foot of the Allalin glacier, surrounded by the peaks of several four-thousand-meter mountains!
Difficulty
DifficultLength
34.26 kmDuration
4:00 h
Description
The ascent to the Mattmark dam could certainly also have the character of a pilgrimage – a pilgrimage in memory of the 88 workers who died at 5:15 p.m. on August 30, 1965, when a collapse of the Allalin glacier fell onto the dam construction site. The dam could only be put into operation in 1969 and is just a stone's throw from the Italian border, dominated by imposing four-thousanders: the Allalinhorn (4021 m), the Rimpfischhorn (4199 m), and the Strahlhorn (4190 m). Shortly after Saas-Grund, you will also pass by the well-known Saas-Fee ski resort within a few kilometers.
Turn-by-turn directions
From Visp, you can first warm up a bit along the Vispa. You initially follow the road that leads to the well-known ski resorts Zermatt and Saas-Fee before turning left into the Saas Valley after Stalden. The incline remains steady all the way to Saas-Balen. After that, you can let your legs run free up to Saas-Grund and further to Saas-Almagell before tackling the last stage of the ascent: the steep section up to the foot of the reservoir dam. Unlike other installations in Valais, the Mattmark dam has consisted since its completion in 1969 not of a wall, but of an impressive natural dam made of stones, along the flank of which a road leads all the way up to the dam crest. Great views guaranteed!
Start
Visp train station (646m)
Destination
Mattmark Dam (2201m)
Author's recommendation
The inside of the Mattmark dam can be visited free of charge.
Technical information
Altitude
2202m
646m
Ascent
+1556m
Descent
-0m
Technique
Stamina
Experience
Landscape
Best time of the year
- Jan
- Feb
- Mar
- Apr
- May
- Jun
- Jul
- Aug
- Sep
- Oct
- Nov
- Dec
Tags
Getting there
Information
Public transport
Regular train connections to Visp via Lötschberg (from Bern) or from western Switzerland via Lausanne.
Approach
There are various ways to reach Visp:
- Lötschberg car shuttle train to Gampel and the cantonal road to Visp.
- Furka (pass and/or car shuttle) and via Goms - Brig to Visp.
- Motorway A9 via Sion and Sierre and cantonal road to Visp.
Parking
Parking garage Visp train station (Park + Ride). Follow the local parking guidance system.
Source
This activity is brought to you by Valais/Wallis Promotion
